The Orchid Series

After suffering a heart-aching breakup, Marissa retreats into herself, over-exercising and depriving herself of food. Still reeling from the void left after her father died, Elise fills the space with short-lived thrills and flings, each leaving her lonelier than before. The honeymoon phase ended long ago for Charlotte and her husband, who pays more attention to his phone and sports than to her. Poppy McAdams assigns each woman a particular species of orchid, one that reveals what they struggle against and how to fight back victoriously.

After her fling with Wes, the good-looking, church-going cowboy, Charlotte is focused on reconnecting with her husband, Derek, and leaving harmful habits, guilt, and shame in the past. When Derek proposes that they start fresh in his hometown, she thinks it’s a wonderful idea; she doesn’t have the heart to tell him that the reason why is because she still thinks about Wes and the kiss they shared at her doorstep.

For one thing, Marissa catches the attention of an agent who’s confident she has what it takes to make it in Hollywood. For another, her ex-fiancé, Jack, is showing interest in her again, along with a great deal of remorse for cheating on her during their engagement. Though she’s unquestionably flattered by his show of repentance, and moved by an outpouring of romantic gestures, Marissa knows in her heart that she no longer loves him, and cannot love him after the heartache he caused her. At last, she proves to herself that the naiveté of her heart has submitted to the wisdom in her head.